We used an online webinar platform to host the meeting. This allowed members to log in by computer or call in by phone. We were happy to see 15-20 attendees at this meeting. It is often difficult to get people to show up for yet another meeting on a weeknight that goes beyond their normal responsibilities. Also, technology can often cause trouble, especially when people aren't used to attending online meetings. Nevertheless, the turnout was good and we had little to no technical difficulties during the session. Furthermore, the event was recorded. That allowed us to follow up and share the details with everyone who attended, as well as those who did not attend.
To start the meeting, I gave a brief introduction on the importance of adopting Pathways now, while we still have 18 months of transition time left between the traditional program and the new program, rather than waiting to be forced into Pathways all at once after June 30, 2020. Getting some members working through Pathways today is essential to supporting new members, maintaining membership, and sustaining the club's educational progress over time.
The majority of the session focused on key topics for club leaders in Pathways. To conduct this portion, we invited our District Pathways Chair. The District organized a committee for the specific purpose of encouraging Pathways adoption, which is why we had an excellent presenter available to us. There was also lots of time for questions and answers. Here are the primary topics we covered during the session:
- How to review, approve, and submit awards in Base Camp and Club Central
- The information contained in the Base Camp Manager dashboards (emphasis on using the "Individual Progress" dashboard)
- How to complete projects (in particular, the importance of remembering the pre-and-post assessments)
- The projects found in Level 1
- What all leaders should do right now: look at the club roster to determine who is not enrolled in Pathways; find out why they are not enrolled, so they can be supported
I am certain that everyone in attendance learned new things about Pathways. Further, I expect that their confidence in encouraging Pathways within their club and supporting members in the new program is increased.
Our next step is to consider hosting a member-focused Pathways training session. Instead of limiting access to leaders, we would want to invite all members from the Division to attend.